Jacksonville: The Timucuan Preserve and Fort Clinch

Since I was continuing on north after our time on Cumberland Island, Jess and I had to drive separately for this camping trip which was kind of sad. Luckily Jess still called me several times along the way to point out various points of interest along the way. Our first stop in Jacksonville was at Fort Caroline which is located on the Timucuan Preserve which is one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast. 

Fort Caroline was the first French colony (established in 1564). The fort was intended as a refuge for the Huguenots but only lasted one year before being obliterated in 1565 by Spanish settlers who built their own fort at the site, then abandoned it in 1569. It is a small site and has a model of the original Fort de la Caroline. It is also a great spot for a picnic lunch. After lunch we stopped by the Ribault Monument which gives a good view of the St. Johns River.

 We then drove down and crossed the river on the way to the Kingsley Plantation. The road in was pretty rough and narrow and draped in Spanish moss but we emerged to the beautiful plantation. 

It is the oldest surviving plantation house in the state. 

Probably because the foundation of the house was constructed of cement tabby, making it quite durable. Also constructed of tabby are the 25 remaining slaves houses.

Although the plantation house is closed during the week, the grounds were still really cool to check out. The plantation was originally 1,000 acres but now is about 60 acres. The grounds also include a barn and kitchen house. We spent a couple hours checking out the plantation before heading out to Fort Clinch State Park. As it was getting late in the afternoon we headed out to our campground, stopping along the way at American Beach. This beach was founded in 1935 to provide African Americans with beach access in a resort atmosphere as during the period of racial segregation, African Americans were barred from most of the beaches in Florida.

 Finally we arrived at Fort Clinch State Park which was our camping spot for the night. We didn’t realize that the Fort was so huge so we headed straight to the Fort to check it out before it closed for the day. 

We were running around snapping pictures furiously, while the ranger was coming behind us and locking up. I was quite impressed by the size of the fort and how well preserved it is. We then headed over to our site to set up camp and eat dinner. As the sun was setting we went for a walk along the beach in search of Megaladon teeth which the park is known for. The beach goes right in front of the fort and it was very pretty to view as the sun was setting.